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STATE 
STREET 

EVENTS 



Issued in Com- 
memoration of 
The 25th 

i Anniversary 
of the Founding 
of the 

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STATE STREET 
EVENTS 

A Brief Account of divers 
U\[otable Persons £§f sundry 
Stirring Events having to 
do with the History of this 

^Ancient Street 




Imprinted for the 

STATE STREET TRUST COMPANY 
OF BOSTON 

On the Occasion of the 2$th Anniversary 
of its Founding 

1916 



FYS 
S7S7Z 



Copyright, 1916 

BY THE 

State Street Trust Company 



Compiled, arranged and printed by direction oj 

Walton Advertising £if Printing Co. 

Boston, Miss. 

©CI.A431395 
JUN -7 1916 



FOREWORD 

The State Street Trust Company on the 25th anniversary of its 
founding is distributing to its depositors and to others who may be 
interested, this pamphlet, similar to those issued annually, and at 
the same time ventures to give a very brief account of its early days. 
The directors of the Company in deciding upon a name very wisely 
chose "State Street" owing to the prominent part this street has played 
in the history of Boston from the early days of the Colony up to the 
present time. This would seem, therefore, an appropriate time to 
relate briefly some of the important events that have taken place on 
State Street. 

Acknowledgments and thanks are due to the following for assist- 
ance in the preparation of this booklet: 

Augustus P. Loring for assistance in connection with Boston Mas- 
sacre events; William C. Lane of the Widener Library, Harvard Uni- 
versity, for help in connection with the Louisburg Cross article; 
Charles F. Read and other officials of the Bostonian Society for the 
use of a number of prints; Otto Fleischner and other officials of the 
Boston Public Library for courteous assistance in the selection of 
books of reference; and Walter K. Watkins, for suggestions as to 
various events. 

In conclusion the Trust Company expresses its thanks for the gener- 
ous patronage of the public which it has always received, and which 
it hopes it may continue to deserve in the future. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Early Days of the Trust Company 5 

Boston's First Merchant 7 

The First Meeting-house in Boston erected on State Street 7 

mlantonomo, the indian chief, visits state street io 

List of Subscribers to build the "Old Town House" 11 

Triumphal Return of the Louisburg Expedition 13 

First Play acted in Boston and the Results 18 

Arrival of the British Troops at Long Wharf 21 

Assault on James Otis 23 

Funeral Procession of the Massacre Victims 25 

"Sam Adams's Regiments" 31 

John Malcolm, Collector of Customs, is tarred and feathered .... 34 

Declaration of Independence read 36 

Civic Feast on State Street 38 

Funeral Procession of John Hancock 40 

"Bloody Monday" on State Street 41 

Arrival of Commodore Bainbridge after his Victory 45 

Anthony Burns led down State Street to be returned to Slavery . . 46 

Submarine Walking Race from Long Wharf to East Boston 49 

[ 3 ] 




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EARLY DAYS OF 
THE TRUST COMPANY 



TWENTY-FIVE years ago to-day, June 9, 1891, the State 
Street Trust Company held its first directors' meeting in 
order to form the necessary plans for beginning business. 

The Company was started by some of the directors and officers of 
the Third National Bank who believed it would be a convenience for 
the box renters of the State Street Safe Deposit Company to have a 
Trust Company in the same room, in order that the box renters might 
have an accessible place in which to deposit or cash their coupons. 
The Third National Bank at tiiis time had its rooms in the base- 
ment of the same building. The $300,000 stock of the Trust Com- 
pany was first offered to the stockholders of the Third National Bank 
and was almost all subscribed by them. 

Moses Williams, Joseph B. Russell, Eliot C. Clarke, Frederic J. 
Stimson, Edward Atkinson, Thomas O. Richardson, Charles E. Samp- 
son, Arthur W T ainwright, and Francis B. Sears were present at the 
first meeting of the Board. Air. Williams, Mr. Russell, and Mr. 
Clarke are still serving as directors, the two former being also of- 
ficers, and Air. Stimson resigned only last year to accept a diplo- 
matic position. At the second meeting William L. Chase and Royal 
E. Robbins were added to the Board, the former becoming Vice- 
President. Charles Lowell was the first actuary, continuing in this 
position until his death in 1906. Colonel William L. Chase died 
shortly after the organization of the Company. 

On the first of July of the same year the Company started in busi- 
ness with offices in the basement of the Exchange Building, directly 
under the present rooms of the Federal Reserve Bank. At the end 
of the day new accounts, amounting to $8,898, had been opened by 
six depositors, who have banked with the Company ever since, or 
until their death. It is interesting to note that the first loan taken 
by the bank was on Boston & Alaine stock, which at that time was 
selling at $165 a share. (The loan has since been paid!) 

When the Third National Bank was consolidated with the Na- 

[ 5 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

tional Shawmut Bank, the Trust Company became entirely inde- 
pendent of outside institutions and has remained so ever since. This 
policy, combined with the best of banking facilities and courteous 
attention, has been the greatest factor in the large and steady increase 
of the Company's deposits. A number of officers and clerks have 
been with the Company for more than seventeen years, which helps 
to ensure efficient service to its customers. 

During the latter part of the year 1900 the Company moved from 
its early location in the Exchange Building to the Union Building, 
occupying the offices on the corner of State and Exchange Streets. 
The deposits at this time were about $2,000,000, and after being 
in this excellent location eleven years these figures rose to about 
$13,000,000. In the present offices in the Worthington Building the 
deposits have grown to over $24,000,000, represented by over fifteen 
thousand accounts. The increase in deposits at each five-year period 
is as follows: — 

January 1, 1896 $1,241,353.10 

1901 2,085,494.86 

1906 7,180,658.66 

1911 13,365,237.97 

19 16 22,313,338.22 

In addition to the increased space, another inducement to move to 
the Worthington Building was in order to have safe deposit vaults. 

In 1902 it was voted to open a Branch Office on Massachusetts 
Avenue for the convenience of residents in that vicinity, and in 1905 
the Company erected its present building on the corner of Massa- 
chusetts Avenue and Boylston Street. This office is also equipped 
with safe deposit vaults, and is used by about 3,000 depositors. 

The capital stock has twice been increased until it now stands at 
$1,000,000, and $1,650,000 in surplus and profits. 

In February of this year the Company purchased the assets and 
good-will of the Paul Revere Trust Company, which gives the State 
Street Trust Company four offices: two down town, one at 33 State 
Street and the other at 50 Devonshire Street; and two in the Back 
Bay, the Copley Square Branch being located at 579 Boylston Street, 
and the Massachusetts Avenue office being situated at the corner of 
Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street. 

[ 6 I 



BOSTON'S FIRST MERCHANT 




|^OHN COGGAN was the first merchant in Boston, 
and his shop was on the northwest corner of State 
and Washington Streets. His stock consisted of 
general merchandise, and from this store really 
begins the trade of Boston. He took an active part 
in the politics of the town, serving at various times 
as selectman, constable, and juror. He also gave freely to Harvard 
College. It was in 1632 that he came to Dorchester from the "est 
of England, Devon," which was noted for its laces. A bill of lading, 
dated in 1650, shows that he received on the Eagle of London, George 
Raymond, master, £15 worth of haberdashery and "Crooked Lane 
ware," so named on account of the lane which was just below his 
store. In the same shipment he received ten dozen of shoes, worsted 
and woollen yarn valued at £5. He married the widow of Governor 
Winthrop, who died two years after Coggan, "not without suspicion 
of poison." 

From the time this first store was opened Boston has been pri- 
marily a city of business men, so much so that Motley remarked 
that there ought to be a banner suspended on Castle Island bearing 
the words, "No admittance except on business." 



THE FIRST MEETING-HOUSE IN BOSTON ERECTED ON 
STATE STREET 



Rev. John Wilson, who came over with Winthrop, and who was 
the first pastor of the Colony, preached in a rough, thatched-roof 
meeting-house, which was built in 1632 on the present site of the 
Brazer Building, on State Street. His place of residence was almost 
opposite, extending on both sides of Crooked Lane, which ran from 
State Street to Dock Square. This byway was later called Wilson's 
Lane, and it is now a part of Devonshire Street. The lane became 
noted for its eating-houses, and to it could be applied the lines of 
Tom Hood: — 

[ 7 ] 



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STATE STREET EVENTS 



"I've heard about a pleasant land where omelets grow on trees, 
And roasted pigs run crying out, 'Come eat us, if you please.' 
My appetite is rather keen, but how shall I get there? 
Straight down the Crooked Lane and all around the square." 

To this first meeting-house came Governor Winthrop and Governor 
Dudley, and also John Cotton to preach. Services were at first an- 
nounced by the beat of a drum, later on by blowing a shell or horn 
or by raising a flag over the roof. 

John Wilson, previous to the building of his church on State Street, 
used to preach in Charlestown under a big tree. Some years later 
he established for himself the reputation of making the first "stump" 
speech in this part of the world. He delivered it from the bough of 
a tree and turned the scale in favor of Governor Winthrop's election. 

When State Street was in its infancy, Sagamore John was a chief 
and ruled over thirty warriors. He was a good chief and a friend of 
the white people. When smallpox visited his settlement Mr. Wilson 
fought the disease with a devotion equalled only by that of Governor 
Winthrop himself. Finally Sagamore John himself lay in his wigwam 
dying. 

"Now," said he, "I must die. The God of the English is very 
angry with me. He will destroy me. Ah! I was afraid of the scoffs 
of the wicked Indians. Yet my child shall live with the English, and 
learn to know their God when I am dead." 

When he gave his boy into Mr. Wilson's care he said: 

"Mr. Wilson is much good man and much love me." 

The Indian lad was brought up in the minister's family. 

Hawthorne gives of Wilson a word picture, in which he describes 
the minister visiting the sick by night. Hawthorne guides his steps 
with a lantern that throws fantastic shadows over the low buildings 
in State Street, and he pictures its rays as forming a halo, such as 
would bless a saint, above his head. 

John Wilson was gentle and always cheerful. He was present once 
at a general muster of troops. A gentleman standing near by said to 
him: "Sir, I'll tell you a great thing! Here's a mighty body of people 
and there is not seven of them all who do not love Mr. Wilson!" 

"Sir," instantly responded the minister, "I'll tell you as good a 
thing as that! Here's a mighty body of people and there is not so 
much as one of them all but Mr. Wilson loves him." 

[ 9 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

Another anecdote is told which well describes the man. Mather 
in his "Magnalia" says: "Divers times his house was destroyed by 
fire, which he bore with such a cheerful submission that when one met 
him on the road informing him, 'Sir, I have sad news for you; while 
you have been abroad your house is burnt,' his first answer was, 
'Blessed be God; He has burnt this house because He intends to give 
me a better.'" 

He died at the age of seventy-nine after serving the First Church 
of Boston for thirty-seven years. 

In 1640 a new meeting-house was built on the land now occupied 
by the Joy Building on Washington Street, and here were heard the 
first church organ and the first meeting-house bell ever brought to 
Boston. John Joy purchased the property in 1808, and the church 
again moved to Chauncy Street. In 1868 the present building of 
the First Church was erected on the corner of Marlborough and 
Berkeley Streets, and the statue of John Winthrop just outside was 
placed there to commemorate one of the first parishioners of the old 
First Church on State Street. 



MIANTONOMO, THE INDIAN CHIEF, VISITS STATE STREET 

It is related that on the 3d of August, 1632, a haughty Narra- 

gansett chief, called Miantonomo, appeared in the market-place on 

State Street accompanied by thirteen Indians, one of whom was a 

- _ squaw. He was a powerful man 

; -V^/\ ; among his people, who, it is said, 

" s- . : .^ 3^ - trembled when he spoke. He was 

friendly toward the English and on 
^ - ^ i(t- : -£^~i>Mk&- ■'. this visit was entertained by the 

Governor. He went to church, but 
his men, not being inclined to listen 
to something which they did not 
understand, decided not to accom- 
pany their chief. They found the 
houses of the church-goers of much 
greater interest and amused them- 
selves by breaking and stealing, 
for which offence it was ordered 
by the Governor that the offenders 

[ 10 ] 




KILLING OF MIANTONOMO 
From "The History and Antiquities of Bos- 
ton," by Samuel G. Drake 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

be whipped by one of their own tribe. This curious punishment 
was carried out. 

In 1636 Governor Vane invited the Narragansett chief to come to 
Boston. Mr. Oldham had been murdered by the Indians, and things 
looked serious for both the red men and the whites. The Governor, 
with twenty musketeers, went to Roxbury to meet his guest and 
escorted him to town. The chieftain himself, with his council, dined 
with the Governor, his men being sent around to Cole's Inn on Mer- 
chants Row, near State Street, where they were fed sumptuously by 
"mine host." The Indians did not use chairs, but sat around in a 
circle on the floor with an iron pot of meat in the centre, into which 
they plunged their hands until they had had their fill. 

A treaty was concluded on the same day between the Narragansett 
tribe and the English, which was faithfully kept by the Indians, 
though it was thought at the time that perhaps they did not under- 
stand the full meaning of it. After signing the treaty, Miantonomo 
and his retinue were formally escorted from town and "dismissed 
with a volley of shot." While in Boston the chief astonished every 
one "by his good understanding of justice and equality." 

Several years later, Miantonomo was captured by Uncas, the leader 
of another tribe. The Commissioners of the united colonies, to whom 
his case was submitted, met in Boston, and, with the advice of the 
Elders, the most extraordinary vote was passed permitting Uncas 
to put his captive to death. As Miantonomo was being conducted 
through the woods, the brother of Uncas came up from behind and 
"clave his head with an hatchet." Thus, it was the English, not the 
Indians, who first broke the treaty made some years before. 

LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS TO BUILD'THE "OLD TOWN HOLS!-'." 

The Selectmen of the town met on January 25, 1657, to consider 
Captain Robert Keayne's bequest of £300 to assist in building a Town 
House. A town meeting was held in March, at which Captain Thomas 
Savage, Anthony Stoddard, Jeremy Howchin, and Edward Hutchinson, 
Sr., were chosen a committee to take up the question of a Town 
House, to report on the most convenient situation, "to take the sub- 
scriptions of the inhabitants to propogate such a building and sea- 
sonably to make report to a public towne meeting." Subscription 
papers were circulated among the people, this most interesting list now 

[ 11 ] 












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FIRST PAGE OF THE LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF 
THE FIRST BOSTON TOWN HOUSE 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE FIRST 
BOSTON TOWN HOUSE 

John Endicott, Governor of the colony. Richard Bellingham, Deputy- 
Governor, and lawyer. Edward Tyng, brewer and merchant. John Evered, 
alias Webb, merchant. Peter Oliver, trader. John Barrell, cooper. James 
Oliver, merchant. William Paine, merchant. Richard Parker, merchant. 
Nathaniell Williams, plover. Sarah Parker, widow. Henry Powning, trader. 
John Coggari, merchant. Theodore Atkinson, feltmaker and hatter. Thomas 
Hawkins, shipwright. John Hull, silversmith. Thomas Clark, draper and 
merchant. Robert Turner, vintner and innholder. Richard Cooke, tailor. 
Robert Swift. (The identity of this person is in doubt.) Samuel Hutchinson, 
merchant. Joshua Scottow, merchant. 



being in the possession of the Bostonian Society. A photograph of the 
first few signatures is shown on the opposite page. Governor John 
Endicott heads the subscription with a donation of £2 ioj\ in cash. 
The signature of Richard Bellingham, Deputy Governor, was inserted 
so as to have it follow John Endicott's. He made his subscription in 
country pay, wheat and barley being valued at <\s. 6d. per bushel, peas 
at 4-f., rye at $s., and Indian corn at 2s. 6d. The third autograph is 
that of Edward Tyng, a London merchant, who married the daughter 
of Francis Sears. John Evered is known to us only from the fact that 
he was a whaleman and met his death by being caught by the whale 
line and drowned. Peter Oliver was one of the founders of the Old 
South Church, and James Oliver owned a house and garden on State 
Street near the corner of Merchants Row. William Paine was a 
merchant of Ispwich, Mass., and owned an iron foundry at Saugus. 
Richard Parker had his home on Court Street, just east of the Old 
Court House. It is impossible to mention any more names on this 
list as they are too numerous. In all, about two hundred people re- 
sponded to the appeals for money, provisions, labor, and material for 
the building of this first Town House, which, when finished, was de- 
scribed as "a wooden house built upon pillars," as shown on the 
following page. 

TRIUMPHAL RETURN OF THE LOUISBURG EXPEDITION 

A splendid reception awaited Governor Shirley when he returned 
to Boston in the Massachusetts frigate in November, 1745, after 
having successfully captured the strong French fortress of Louis- 
burg. He spent the night at the "Castle" and was brought from 

[ 13 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 




#^^Pii?p^ -' ill 





VIEW OF THE FIRST BOSTON TOWN HOUSE DRAWN FROM THE 

BUILDER'S SPECIFICATIONS 

Courtesy of J. H. Benton 

there to Long Wharf, now the lower end of State Street, in the Castle 
barge, amid continuous salutes. As he and his retinue landed, more 
salutes rang forth from all the vessels in the harbour, and crowds of 
joyful citizens were on hand to welcome him. On the wharf were 
assembled His Majesty's Council, the Speaker of the House, magis- 
trates and gentlemen and merchants of the town. A regiment of 
militia, under Colonel Jacob Wendell, a troop of horse, under Colonel 
Estes Hatch, and the Cadets, under Colonel Benjamin Pollard, were 
drawn up along King Street, and the bells of the town rang forth as 
the Governor and his officers marched past. An illumination and 
fireworks during the evening ended the festivities. 

General Pepperell, the commander of the expedition, returned 
some months later and met with a similar reception, being escorted up 
State Street to the Town House, where addresses were delivered by 
some of the Representatives. He stayed in Boston only a short 
time, going from here to his seat at Kittery, Maine. Almost the only 
account that can be found of his march up State Street is in an old 
scrap book of the time and reads as follows: "Massachusetts gave 

[ 14 ] 




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'■ 174 5 





THE LOUISBURG CROSS 

Brought back from the capture of Louisburg 
by the Massachusetts troops in I74S-. It. i s 
now in the possession of Harvard University 
and is in the treasure room of the college 
library. 



STATE STREET EVENTS 



Pepperell, the hero of Louisburg, an ovation of such splendor that it 
seemed entirely out of proportion to the number of inhabitants; 
State Street was a tumult of display and excitement." 

The victors brought back with them a relic known as the Louisburg 
Cross, which is supposed to have been taken from the parish church 
of the Recollets. It is now owned by Harvard University, but, curi- 
ously enough, it has never been discovered how it came into the pos- 
session of the College. It was first placed in the library in Harvard 
Hall, but when Gore Hall was built it was removed to a building which 
was erected behind the Charles River National Bank to exhibit the 
Panorama of Athens, a gift to the College by Theodore Lyman. This 
structure was burned, but the Cross by good luck was rescued and 
placed in Gore Hall. Here it remained for some time in the cellar, 
finally being taken, in the year 1877, from its unattractive surround- 
ings by the librarian, Mr. Winsor, who removed it to a gable over one 
of the doors of the hall, as shown in the picture on page 15. In 
October, 1895, it was stolen, undoubtedly by a member of one of the 
secret societies. So securely had it been fastened to the stonework 
that it had to be wrenched and twisted until it finally broke off. Not 
a word was heard about it for over two years, when one morning as 
the assistant librarian, Mr. Kiernan, was entering the hall he saw 
the missing Cross lying on the roof near the place from which it was 
stolen. The singular part of this restoration is that the Boston 
Record published an article giving the news of its return one day 
before the Cross was discovered by Mr. Kiernan. In 19 12 Mr. Sam- 
uel Hammond, the chairman of the Society of Colonial Wars, was 
instrumental in having it placed in the college library with a suitably 
inscribed tablet, both of which can be seen now in the Widener build- 
ing. 

The expedition against Louisburg has been called an "uncommonly 
rash adventure"; nevertheless, it turned out most successfully, and 
every one connected with it, from the Governor down to the private 
soldier, was the recipient of congratulations. An address was pre- 
sented to the Governor, "signed by seventy of the principal Gentle- 
men, Merchants and Traders," complimenting him upon the capture 
of the citadel. He was also referred to as "the projector of the late 
happy expedition," and his "zeal and vigilance" were especially 
mentioned. Governor Shirley's reply was most modest, claiming 
only "a desire for the welfare and prosperity of the Province in gen- 

[ 16 ] 



STAT E STREET E VE N T S 

eral, and the Town of Boston in particular." The Rev. Thomas 
Prince preached a sermon of jubilation at the Old South Church not 
long after, and almost in the midst of the rejoicing word was received 
through a fisherman that the French fleet under the Duke d'Anville 
was approaching the harbour with orders to burn and destroy Boston. 
Great were the preparations made to defend the town; ten thousand 
men journeyed long distances to take up arms, and the Governor 
ordered Castle William strengthened and the harbour fortified. Troops 
were seen in daily drills on the Common, which became a military 
camp, and at night camp-fires blazed on many of the hills. Business 
came to an end, every one having only one concern, that of repelling 
the invader. The alarm soon died away, for nearly all the French 
ships of war were destroyed by tempests on their way to Boston, and 
the commander is said to have committed suicide. The following 
verses by Longfellow describing this event — so fortunate for Bostoni- 
ans — may prove interesting. The author portrays the Rev. Thomas 
Prince as repeating them to his congregation. 

A BALLAD OF THE FRENCH FLEET 
October, 1746 

MR. THOMAS PRINCE loquitur 

A fleet with flags arrayed 

Sailed from the Port of Brest, 
And the Admiral's ship displayed 

The signal, "Steer southwest." 
For this Admiral d'Anville 

Had sworn by cross and crown 
To ravage with fire and steel 

Our helpless Boston town. 

There were rumors in the street, 

In the houses there was fear 
Of the coming of the fleet, 

And the danger hovering near; 
And while from mouth to mouth 

Spread the tidings of dismay, 
I stood in the Old South, 

Saying humbly, "Let us pray! 

I 17 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 



"O Lord! we would not advise; 

But if in thy providence 
A tempest should arise 

To drive the French fleet hence, 
And scatter it far and wide, 

Or sink it in the sea, 
We should be satisfied, 

And thine the glory be." 

This was the prayer I made, 

For my soul was all on flame; 
And even as I prayed, 

The answering tempest came, — 
It came with a mighty power, 

Shaking the windows and walls, 
And tolling the bell in the tower 

As it tolls at funerals. 

The fleet it overtook, 

And the broad sails in the van 
Like the tents of Cushan shook, 

Or the curtains of Midian. 
Down on the reeling decks 

Crashed the o'erwhelming seas; 
Ah! never were there wrecks 

So pitiful as these! 

Like a potter's vessel broke 

The great ships of the line; 
They were carried away as a smoke, 

Or sank like lead in the brine. 
O Lord! before thy path 

They vanished and ceased to be, 
When thou didst walk in wrath 

With thine horses through the sea! 

t 

FIRST PLAY ACTED IN BOSTOX AND THE RESULTS 

The first play acted in Boston caused a riot, and many of the specta- 
tors spent that night in the town jail. Most of Boston wanted to 
witness the performance, and as the seating capacity of the British 
Coffee House on King Street, now State Street, was very limited, 

[ 18 ] 




BRITISH COFFEE HOUSE ON STATE STREET 

Is the Building in foreground. In it the first play in Boston was acted, and here James Otis 
was assaulted. From a painting in the Massachusetts Historical Society 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

only those who were the strongest could gain admittance. This Coffee 
House is shown on the preceding page. 

Cotton Mather, as early as 1686, in an article which he wrote 
against "Profane and Superstitious Customs," said, "There is much 
discourse now of beginning stage plays in New England." It was, 
however, not until 1750 that this first play, called the "Orphan or 
Unhappy Marriage," was given. It was acted by two Englishmen 
and some volunteers. The result was the almost immediate passage 
of "An Act to Prevent Stage Plays and Other Theatrical Entertain- 
ments." The framers of this law believed that plays "occasioned 
unnecessary expenses, discouraged industry," and increased "immoral- 
ity, impiety and a contempt for religion." A fine was imposed on 
the owner of the premises used for any such purpose and upon the 
actors or spectators, if more than twenty persons were assembled 
together. This law did not prevent small private entertainments, 
which in the early days were called "discourses," and which were 
held quite frequently. 

The next attempt at a public performance was the "Blockade of 
Boston," written by General John Burgoyne, in the endeavor to im- 
press his men with contempt for American soldiery. The play was 
produced at Faneuil Hall, in January, 1776, when the General was in 
Boston. A caricature of George Washington had just come upon 
the stage, carrying an old rusty sword, when a sergeant rushed in 
and announced that the Yankees were attacking their works on 
Bunker Hill. The audience believed this to be a part of the show, 
but when the order was given to the officers to go to their posts, they 
began to realize that it was indeed the truth. There was a rush to 
escape, women fainted, and the performance came to an abrupt end. 
Such was the result of the second attempt. 

A bill to allow plays was introduced in 1791, but did not pass, 
whereupon a number of influential men determined to erect a theatre 
to test the law. A building was erected in Board Alley, now Hawley 
Street, which was then filled with mud and livery stables. This "New 
Exhibition Room" was opened on August 1, 1792, under the direction 
of a Mr. Joseph Harper, who was arrested after the performance. 

The Federal Street Theatre, or Boston Theatre as it was called, 
was the first regular theatre built in the city. It stood on the corner 
of Federal and Franklin Streets. It was opened February 3, 1794, 
and from this date the history of the drama in Boston really begins. 

[ 20 ] 



STATE STREET E TENTS 



ARRIVAL OF THE BRITISH TROOPS AT LONG WHARF 

The Street Leading from Cornhill 
including y e wayes on each side 
of y e side of y e Town House extend- 
ing easterly to y e sea 

King Street 

A number of British ships of war arrived in Boston Harbour on 
Friday, September 30, 176S, and on board were the 14th regiment, 
under Lieutenant-Colonel Dalrymple; the 29th regiment, under 
Lieutenant-Colonel Carr; a part of the 59th, under Captain Wilson, 
and a company of artillery with two field-pieces. 

The next day at noon the troops landed at Long Wharf and marched 
up King Street to the Common, where the 29th regiment encamped. 
There was a building near the Common which Colonel Dalrymple 
tried to procure for his troops, but a shrewd patriot, surmising the 
plan, had hired the whole building, which under no circumstances 
would he sub-let. There was no provision made for the 14th until 
evening, when, after a long wait, they were admitted to Faneuil Hall. 
By Sunday night the 14th regiment had enlarged its quarters by 
camping in the Town House. The detachment of the 59th found 
shelter in stores on Griffin's W r harf, which lodgings, however, were 
not permanent. The occupation of the public buildings was an 
indignity the citizens of Boston could not forgive. 

The following account of the landing is taken from Deacon Tudor's 
diary: 

"At aboute 1 O'clock Satterday all the Troops Landed under cover 
of the Cannon of the Ships of War; The troops drew up in King 
Street and marched off in a Short time into the Common with 
Muskets charged, Bayonets fixed (perhaps Expecting to have met 
with resestance as the Soldiers afterwards told the inhabitants) their 
Colours flying, Drums beating & museck playing, In short they 
made a gallant appearance, makeing with the Train of Artillery about 
Soo Men." 

Another account reads as follows: — ■ . 

"So that now we See Boston Surrounded with about 14 Ships, or 
Vessells of war. The greatest perade perhaps ever seen in the Har- 
bour of Boston." 

[ 21 ] 



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STATE STREET EVENTS 

The gaudy red uniforms of the soldiers drew forth an "indignant 
admiration" and also resulted in a pun from the Rev. Mather Byles. 
He said that the people had sent over to England to obtain a redress 
of grievances and that these grievances had returned red-dressed. 

Long Wharf was merely an extension of State Street, about one 
thousand feet into the sea, and one side was lined with shops and 
warehouses. It is described as "a noble Pier — with a row of ware- 
houses on the North Side for the use of Merchants — From the head 
of the pier you go up the chief Street of the Town." 

ASSAULT ON JAMES OTIS 

James Otis, a member of the famous Whig Club, was an eloquent 
champion of liberty in Revolutionary days. Writer, orator, patriot, 
he rose to distinction as an earnest champion of his country's rights. 
In the summer of 1769 he attacked some revenue officers in the 
Boston Gazette. 

A few evenings later, as he was sitting in the British Coffee House, 
a man named Captain Robinson, who was Commissioner of Customs, 
entered and began conversation with him. An argument ensued, 
which became more and more heated. Finally Otis suggested that 
they retire to another room and settle the matter in a less public 
place between themselves. Robinson said: — 

"What satisfaction do you expect me to give?" 

"A gentleman's satisfaction," replied Otis. 

"I am ready to do it," said Robinson. 

"Then come along with me." 

And Otis led the way from the room. 

As they were going through a door leading into an entry Robinson 
seized Otis by the nose. Otis defended himself with his cane. Robin- 
son accordingly fought with a stick which he carried in his hand. 
Blows fell thick and fast between the two men, until they discarded 
their weapons and resorted to fists — freely. A crowd gathered — 
nearly all men from the army, navy and revenue — and naturally 
belonging, as did Robinson, to the king's own, they took his part 
against Otis. Otis did not get fair play. He was struck with cutlasses, 
canes, and everything available which the mob could pick up and 
throw. 

" Kill him ! Kill him ! " they cried. 

[ 23 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

The result of the attack might have been fatal, had not John 
Gridley been passing the Coffee House at the time when the thick of 
the fight was on. He looked in at the window, decided that Otis was 
getting the worst of the fray, and immediately entered the room. 

"It's a dirty usage to treat a man in that manner," said he, and 
threw himself between Otis and Robinson. He said he felt some 
one pull him by the right shoulder just as he gripped Robinson's 
collar. In the struggle that followed, Gridley ripped Robinson's 
coat quite down to the pockets. After that he received two blows 
on the head, the blood which flowed from his wounds blinded him, 
and in groping about to strike the person who had thus wounded 
him he received a blow on the wrist which broke it. He was then 
thrown out of the room. When he returned it was with a stout stick. 
He met Otis running toward the door. 

"I will defend you," said Gridley. 

"I am much obliged to you," replied Otis. 

Some one told Otis to go and get his wounds dressed, which he did. 

"I heard divers voices," said Gridley, "a moment later, call 'Kill 
him! Kill him!'" 

From the severe wounds which Otis received he never recovered. 
His reason rapidly forsook him. He obtained a court judgment 
for £2,000 against Robinson for the attack, but when the penitent 
officer made a written apology, Otis with great magnanimity refused 
to take a penny. He withdrew to the country in 1770 and resumed the 
practice of law in Boston only for a short time. During the attack 
on Bunker Hill his patriotism again showed itself, and borrowing a 
musket he appeared with the American troops on the scene of the 
battle and did his share in the day's work. He was killed at Andover 
in 1783 by a stroke of lightning. 

Boston Gazette, 

September n, 1769. 

Advertisement 

From a regard to truth, and to the character of a true soldier, whose honor, 
is ever, justly dearer to him than life: It is with pleasure I take this first 
opportunity voluntarily and freely to declare, in the most open and unre- 
served as well as public manner, that in the premeditated, cowardly and villainous 
attempt of John Robinson, Commissioner, and his confederates, last week, 
to assassinate me, I have not the least reason to think, or even suspect, that 

[ 24 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

any officer or officers, cither of the army or navy, were directly or indirectly 
concerned in so foul a deed, except a well known petty commander of an armed 
schooner, of about 4 Swivels, who, if same for once tells the truth, swore last 
year that this whole Continent was in open Rebellion. 

James Otis. 




1J0STON MASSACRE COFFINS; BOSTON, MARCH, 1774. — FROM 
"AMERICAN HISTORICAL RKOORD." 

The initials on the coffins stand for Samuel Gray, 

Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, and 

Crispus Attucks 



FUNERAL PROCESSION OF THE MASSACRE VICTIMS 

"Well-fated shades! let no unmanly tear 
From pity's eye disdain your honored bier; 
Lost to their view, surviving friends may mourn, 
Yet o'er thy pile celestial flames shall burn. 
Long as in freedom's cause the wise contend, 
Dear to your country shall your fame extend; 
While to the world the lettered stone shall tell 
How Caldwell, Attucks, Gray and Maverick fell.'' 

Fleet's Post, March 12, 1770. 

The funeral procession of the four men slain during the "Boston 
Massacre" was formed near the place where the event occurred, at 
the head of King Street, now State Street. The body of Crispus 
Attucks, the mulatto, and that of James Caldwell, a non-resident of 
Boston, were placed in Faneuil Hall awaiting burial; the remains of 
Samuel Maverick, who was only seventeen years old, lay in his mother's 
house on Union Street, and those of Samuel Gray, at Benjamin Gray's, 
his brother's, in Royal Exchange Lane. The four coffins, bearing the 
inscriptions "Emblems of Mortality," were brought to King Street 

[ 25 ] 









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FIRST PAGE OF THE BOARD BILL OF THE JURY THAT TRIED THE BRITISH 
SOLDIERS AFTER THE BOSTON MASSACRE 
From the original in the possession of John Noble, Esq. 



STATE STREET EVENTS 



Mr. Joseph Mayo To Joseph Otis D r 

on Ace 1 of the Soldiers Tried of y e 29 th Reg* 

1770 

Nov. 27 th To Biskett & Cheese & Syder 
To Suppers for 14 Men @ 1 1/3 
To Lodging 12 Men @ 2/ 

28 To Breakfast 14 Men @ 6/ 
To Bread Cheese & Syder 

x To Supper 14 Men @ 1 1/3 
To Lodging 12 Men @ 2/ 

29 To Breakfast 14 Men @ 6/ 
To Bread, Cheese & Syder 

x To Supper for 14 Men @ 11/3 
To Lodging 12 Men @ 2/ 

30 To Breakfast 14 Men @ 6/ 
To Bread Cheese & Syder 
To Supper for 14 M [ 
To Lodging 12 Men [ 

Dec. 1 To Breakfast 14 M [ 
To Bread Cheese & [ 
To Pipes & Tobacco [ 
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To Lodging 12 M [ 
To Breakfast 14 [ 
To Supper 14 M [ 
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STATE STREET EVENTS 



1770 Brought Forward £95 

Dec r 4 To Breakfast 14 Men @ 6/ 

To Bread Cheese & Syder 

x To Supper 14 Men @ 1 1/3 

To Lodging 12 D° @ 2/ 

5 To Breakfast 14 Men @ 6/ 

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To Fireing 8 Nights for y e officers 
who Attended @ 7/6 

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] r Ac 1 haveing Considered the Same 
pounds fifteen Shillings & Six pence old Ten r — 
] over Charged which is Equal to i8/i d lawfull 
] llowd & paid out of the County Treasury the 
] teen pound Seventeen Shillings & Eight 
In full to Discharge the above acount 
Eliph 1 . Pond 

] illiams — 

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Boston in & for said County on the 

] rdered that the same be and hereby 

] ual Order on the County Treasury for 

] ight pence Lawful Money to the 

Ez. Price Cler 
[Filed] Makoas Account 1770 

TRANSCRIPTION OF SECOND PAGE OF BOARD BILL 



[ 29 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

and placed each inside of a hearse. The people of Boston, with the 
consent of the parents and friends of the victims, had requested that 
the funeral be made a public one, in order that the citizens of the town 
could better express their grief. Most of the stores were closed, and 
it was ordered that the bells should be tolled not only in Boston, but 
in Charlestown, Cambridge, and Roxbury. Later in the afternoon 
the procession was formed six deep, and, followed by many carriages 
containing the principal people of the town, it began to move towards 
the Granary Burying-ground, where all of the four bodies were buried 
in one vault in the middle of the cemetery. 

The Boston Gazette, printed a few days later, stated "That there 
must have been a greater number of people from town and country 
at the funeral of those who were massacred by the soldiers, than were 
ever together on this continent on any occasion." In another place 
the same paper in describing the funeral said that "the aggravated 
circumstances of their death, the distress and sorrow visible in every 
countenance, together with the peculiar solemnity with which the 
whole funeral was conducted, surpass description." 

The illustrations on the previous pages are taken from the original 
Board Bill, which was furnished by the keeper of the jail to the jury 
that sat in the trial of the British soldiers who took part in the riot 
on King Street in 1770. The original is now in the possession of 
John Noble, Esq., through whose kindness this photograph was taken 
and through whom this information was obtained. This bill includes 
an itemized account of the expenses incurred by the Government in 
boarding the jurymen. From a torn and tattered brown sheet of 
paper the items may be deciphered, and it seems that the jury par- 
took of no great variety of viands, the staple articles of their bill of 
fare being mostly "Bread, Cheese & Syder." 

The bill — the first of its kind to be incurred in Boston — is made 
out to the foreman of the jury and begins: "Mr. Joseph Mayo to 
Joseph Otis Dr. on Acc't of the Soldiers Tried of ye 29th Reg't." 
Eliphalet Pond, Joseph Williams, and Ebenezer Miller, who were 
"three of the Justices of the Court of General Sessions of the Peace," 
approved the bill, and "the order of the Court for its payment out of 
the Country Treasury" is signed by Ezekial Price, the Clerk of the 
Court. 

How this old bill came to light is interesting. It was found among 
the papers called "The Suffolk Files," which were done up in bundles 

[ 30] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 



and boxes and stowed away in the old Court House building, once 
located where the new part of City Hall now stands. Tradition 
claims that many of these old papers were used for bedding by the 
British soldiers. Air. John Noble's father, who finally collected the 
files and sorted them, found that many extraneous papers had slipped 
in, and among them was the Board Bill. 

This old Board Bill has interest, not only because it is the first 
of its kind to be contracted in Boston, but because of the perplex- 
ing problem that lies back of it. There arose many questions as 
to how the jury was to be kept together during the trials of unprece- 
dented length, and the old bill itself is ample evidence of how the 
problem was solved and how the jurymen were housed and fed until 
they were discharged. 

A large part of the romance of the Massacre is dispelled when one 
realizes that the mob which caused the row was nothing more than a 
crowd of street hoodlums attacking the British sentries, who could 
not retaliate without risking a court martial. 

"SAM ADAMS'S REGIMENTS" 

Governor Bernard and others in sympathy with the King's cause 
continually referred to Samuel Adams and other revolutionists as 
worthy of "strong halters, firm blocks and sharp axes." Adams's 
energy and persistence just after the Massacre resulted in the with- 
drawing from the town of two regiments by Colonel Dalrymple. 
Lord North was so disgusted that a mere citizen could accomplish 
such a result that he referred to them as "Sam Adams's Regiments." 

On the morning after the Massacre the Boston patriots, with revenge 
in their hearts and on their lips, dispersed to their homes, meeting 
shortly afterwards in Faneuil Hall. There was just one thing to do, 
and that was to ask Governor Hutchinson to remove the regiments. 
A committee of fifteen was appointed, and they repaired to the Old 
State House, where they met the Lieutenant-Governor and his council. 
There was a quiet, determined dignity in the demand of the patriots; 
there was vacillation and evasion on the part of the representative of 
the Crown, and the meeting was not at all satisfactory. There was 
something mentioned about having no power to remove the troops, 
and it was also suggested that one regiment be sent away. The com- 
mittee returned to the meeting and reported that they could obtain 

[ 31 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

the consent of the Governor to remove only one regiment. As with 
one voice, the people shouted, "Both regiments or none!" 

Seven of the original committee again repaired to the Council 
Chamber at the Old State House. They were John Hancock, Samuel 
Adams, William Molineux, William Phillips, Joseph Warren, Joshua 
Henshaw, and Samuel Pemberton, with instructions to insist upon 
"Both regiments or none!" Multitudes greeted them as they came 
from the church. "Both regiments or none!" repeated Sam Adams 
as, with bared head, he passed through the three thousand who stood 
behind him and his committee. 

Evening was approaching, and shadows hung about the portals of 
the Old State House, while glowing hearths inside shot their reddish 
rays on the paintings of Charles II and of James II that hung on 
the walls. There were less noticeable pictures of Belcher, Bradstreet, 
Endicott, and Winthrop. There were also in waiting the councillors, 
clad in gold and in silver and in lace, and with pretentious wigs, while 
near them stood the British soldiers in scarlet. Into this chamber the 
patriots entered. 

Suavely, Hutchinson spoke: — 

"The troops," he said, "are not subject to my authority. I have 
no power to remove them." He then mentioned something about 
removing one regiment. 

Sternly, Sam Adams replied: — ■ 

"If you have the power," he said, "to remove one regiment, you 
have the power to remove both. It is at your peril if you refuse. The 
meeting is composed of three thousand people. They are becoming 
impatient. A thousand men are already arrived from the neighbors 
and the whole country is in motion. An immediate answer is ex- 
pected. Both regiments or none!" 

Adams saw Hutchinson's knees tremble and his face grow pale. He 
waited grimly for the word that the regiments — both regiments — ■ 
would be removed. 

Back of the arm that Sam Adams had raised to the Lieutenant- 
Governor and to Colonel Dalrymple, was the force of waiting thou- 
sands. The favorable reply came, and the committee reported the 
news to the people, who were overjoyed to see the English troops 
leave the town. 

They had come — these regiments that have gone down in history 
as "Sam Adams's" — and thrust their unwelcome presence on the 

[ 32 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

patriots. They went — fourteen days after Samuel Adams demanded 
they be removed. 

As Adams was walking home that same evening, it is narrated that 
he met the Rev. Mather Byles, a Tory and the wit of the town, who 
asked him why he wouldn't be just as pleased to be ruled by one 
tyrant three thousand miles away as by three thousand tyrants only 
a mile away. 

The children took great delight in watching the red-coats while 
they were here and were undoubtedly sorry to have them go. When 
Washington was in Boston he asked a child which soldiers she liked 
the best — the English or the Yankees. She replied that she preferred 
the red-coats, whereupon Washington is quoted as saying, "Yes, my 
dear, they look the best, but it takes the ragged boys to do the fight- 
ing." 

JOHN MALCOLM, COLLECTOR OF CUSTOMS, IS TARRED 
AND FEATHERED 

John Malcolm was one of the English tax collectors and, therefore, 
brought upon himself the wrath of the colonists. His career had 
been a checkered one, and before he had been in Boston very long the 
citizens decided to treat him to a coat of tar and feathers, which was 
called at that time the "new punishment." The quarrel began by 
his threatening a boy who had run into him with a sled. Thereupon, 
Hewes, a citizen of the town, called Malcolm to account for his treat- 
ment of the Boston lad. The argument became heated, and Hewes 
threw a parting verbal shot by taunting Malcolm with having been 
tarred and feathered when in Maine a short time before. Malcolm 
then struck Hewes. The news spread like wild-fire, and the towns- 
people promptly gathered in front of the tax collector's house and 
attempted to force an entrance. Malcolm resisted and wounded with 
his sword several of those trying to enter. The mob then dispersed 
like a whirlwind to Henchman's Wharf, where they procured tar and 
two cases of feathers. They returned to Malcolm's house, pulled 
him out of the window into a cart, as shown in the cut on the opposite 
page, and then gave him a coat of tar and feathers. They took 
him to the Custom House on King Street, where they flogged him 
severely, and after a four hours' journey around Boston with repeated 
floggings, he was brought home more dead than alive. Either the 

[ 34 ] 



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STATE STREET EVENTS 

tar and feathers, or the frost, or both produced a skin affection for 
the cure of which Malcolm spent some time in England, trying the 
while to obtain redress. The Revolution broke out while he was 
still airing his troubles, and he died in London without having settled 
his case. 

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE READ 

"Thus ends royal authority in this State. 
And all the people shall say Amen." 

Letters of Abigail Adams to John Adams. 

Most of the inhabitants of Boston put on their best attire and went 
to church on Thursday morning, July 1 8, 1776, although many had 
to stay at home on account of smallpox. Those who went to church 
drifted, after a good sermon, to crowded King Street and the Town 
House to hear read the Declaration of Independence. There was 
excitement everywhere, infantry lining the streets and artillery being 
drawn up in front of the jail. Just as the clock struck one, Colonel 
Thomas Crafts appeared on the balcony of the Town House and read 
to the great audience the Declaration of Independence. "God save 
our American States!" Outside, from street to street, loud cheers 
were given again and again, the roar of cannon swept Boston Harbour 
from fort to fort, and the clash of musketry and bells reverberated 
through Boston town. Independence had been declared! Then, on 
a given signal, thirteen pieces of cannon were fired from the fort on 
Fort Hill and from the fortifications on Dorchester Neck and the 
Castle. Nantasket and Point Allerton likewise discharged their 
cannon thirteen times, the number thirteen corresponding, of course, 
to the number of the American states united. The ceremony was 
closed with a collation to the Gentlemen in the Council Chamber, 
during which many toasts were given by the President of the Council 
and heartily pledged by those present. 

On the same evening, the King's arms, and every sign and any 
resemblance of it, whether Lion and Crown, Pestle and Mortar, Heart 
and Crown, etc., together with every sign that belonged to a Tory, 
were taken down and burned in a huge conflagration on King Street, 
and in order to encourage the mob to do its worst it is said that a 
great deal of wine was distributed on this evening. 

While the Declaration was being signed in Philadelphia, it may be 

[36] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 



interesting to recall the remark attributed to Benjamin Franklin. As 
one of the signers was about to affix his name he said, "Now we must 
all hang together." — "Or we shall all hang separately," retorted 
Franklin. 

CIVIC FEAST ON STATE STREET 

One of the most unusual events that ever took place in Boston was 
the open air banquet which was held on January 24, 1793. The cele- 
bration was given in honor of the French Revolution, the news of 
which had been received with much satisfaction some time before, 
and the culmination of the people's rejoicing showed itself in this 
original manner. January was not a very propitious season for an out- 
door entertainment, but the enthusiasm was warm enough to make 
up for the low temperature. 

An ox weighing one thousand pounds was roasted whole on Copps 
Hill, and its horns having been gilded, it was raised upon a car twenty 
feet high and was drawn by fifteen horses through the principal 
streets of the city "as a peace offering to Liberty and Equality." 
Two hogsheads of punch, each drawn by six horses, and a cartload of 
eight hundred loaves of bread came next, followed by many cele- 
brators. The procession passed by Liberty "Stump," where Liberty 
Tree stood before it was cut down, then marched past the residences 
of Hancock and Adams, who were the Governor and Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor, finally coming to a halt on State Street. Here a table was 
laid out extending from the Old State House almost to Kilby Street, 
and the feast began. The windows were crowded with men and 
women, and the roofs of the houses and even the chimney tops were 
covered with sightseers, who were anxious to get a good view of the 
demonstration. As the feast progressed the punch began to show its 
effects, and pieces of the ox were hurled through the air and even at 
the women in the windows. In spite of an advertisement that ap- 
peared in the papers guaranteeing "the prevalence of order and 
paternal affection," the dinner ended in a disgraceful debauch. The 
temperance laws were not observed as strictly as were those of 
Sabbath keeping, yet it is difficult to picture staid Bostonians of the 
early days revelling on State Street. 

Another celebration was held on the same afternoon at Faneuil 
Hall, at which Samuel Adams presided with the aid of the French 

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Consul, but the four hundred or so persons present were better 
behaved. The citizens of Charlestown drank the healths of the 
Bostonians at four o'clock, and the compliment was returned fifteen 
minutes later with the accompaniment of an artillery salute. Every 
one on this occasion copied the peculiarities of the French mob, the 
cakes bearing the words "Liberty and Equality" and the merchants 
of Boston addressing each other as "citizen." So enthusiastic were 
the people on the subject of freedom that they even released the 
prisoners from the jails. During the festivities a liberty pole sixty 
feet high, with the ox horns at the top, was raised in Liberty Square, 
and a salute of fifteen guns fired. From the right horn flowed the flag 
of France and from the left that of the United States. Louis XVI 
had been executed several days before, and when the Bostonians began 
to realize the bloody character of the French Revolution their cele- 
brations ceased. 

FUNERAL PROCESSION OF JOHN HANCOCK 

"Their Country's Savior, and Columbia's pride, 
The Orphan's father and the Widow's friend. 
May future Hancocks Massachusetts guide; 
Hancock! The name alone with time shall end." 

John Hancock died fighting for State sovereignty. He made his 
last fight in September, 1793. To the Legislature, Governor Hancock, 
in that month, uttered the words that have grown in majesty as 
years have passed: "I have, in this case, done no more than my duty, 
as a servant of the people. I never did and I never will deceive 

THEM WHILE I HAVE LIFE AND STRENGTH TO ACT IN THEIR SERVICE." 

Out of the Council Chamber, the assembly standing as he passed, 
the Governor walked to his carriage. Three weeks later there was a 
brilliant military parade in preparation on Boston Common. News 
flashed: "Governor Hancock is dead." Throngs that had gathered 
to see the soldiers returned to their homes, and the troops also broke 
ranks, for Governor John Hancock was dead! 

The same day, the Sheriff declared Samuel Adams Lieutenant- 
Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth. 

For a week John Hancock lay in state, throngs coming from far 
and near to gaze on the face of the noble patriot. At dawn on Mon- 
day, October 14, 1793, bells began to toll, and continued to ring for 

[ 40 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 



an hour without cessation. Flags in the city and on ships in the 
harbour were placed at half-mast. The military corps of the town 
began to gather and were joined by companies from other towns, 
forming in line on the Common. The procession, a mile and a half 
long, moved from the Hancock house on Beacon Street across the 
Common to Frog Lane, now Boylston Street, to Liberty Pole, thence 
around the Old State House to the place of burial. The minute guns 
continued firing as the procession passed into Court Street and thence 
to the Granary Burying-ground. Past shops with closed shutters, 
past a hushed multitude, the procession passed. Near the grave, 
the military escort opened column, and John Hancock was laid to 
rest, three volleys being fired over his grave. 

The original copy of the order of the procession is preserved by the 
Bostonian Society. 

Because his strength failed, Samuel Adams withdrew from the 
cortege on State Street. When the General Court assembled the 
following January he said: — 

"It having pleased the Supreme Being, since your last meeting, in 
His holy Providence, to remove from this transitory life our late ex- 
cellent Governor Hancock, the multitude of his surviving fellow- 
citizens, who have often given strong testimonials of their approba- 
tion of his important services, while they drop a tear, may certainly 
profit by the recollection of his virtues and patriotic example." 

"BLOODY MONDAY" ON STATE STREET 

State Street was the scene of a fatal affray on August 4, 1806, which 
resulted in the death of Charles Austin, the son of a distinguished 
Republican lawyer, by the hand of Thomas Oliver Selfridge, a Fed- 
eralist lawyer of both social and professional prominence. The 
affair caused a great deal of excitement, and the day on which it took 
place was remembered for a long time as "Bloody Monday." The 
origin of the dispute was undoubtedly political, although the imme- 
diate cause was a quarrel about "seven waste pigs and ten bushels 
of green peas." On the Fourth of July the Republicans of Boston 
held a grand banquet in a tent on Copps Hill. The Ambassador of 
Tunis was present, and there was such a rush for admission that the 
ticket taker was unable to perform his duty. As a result the receipts 
were not what they should have been, and Mr. Eager, the landlord 

[ 41 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 




DIAGRAM OF THE SCENE OF THE SELFRIDGE-AUSTIN MURDER ON AUGUST 

4, 1806 

From "Trial of Thomas O. Self ridge" 

of the well-known Jefferson Tavern on Salem Street, who was the 
caterer, was paid by the committee only as much as was actually 
collected. Selfridge, acting as counsel for the caterer, brought suit 
against the committee, at the head of which was Benjamin Austin. 
Words passed between the two men, and finally Selfridge had the 
following notice posted in the Gazette: — 

Benjamin Austin, Loan Officer, having acknowledged that he has circu- 
lated an infamous falsehood concerning my professional conduct, in a cer- 
tain cause, and having refused to give the satisfaction due to a gentleman, in 
similar cases: — I do hereby publish said Austin as a coward, a liar, and a 
scoundrel; and if said Austin has the effrontery to deny any part of the 
charge, he shall be silenced by the most irrefragable proof. 

Boston, August 4, 1806. Thomas O. Selfridge. 

Mr. Selfridge came in from his home in Medford on the morning of 
the 4th, and Henry Cabot at once told him that Mr. Austin had made 
a declaration something like this: — 

"I'll not take Selfridge in hand myself, but some person on a footing 
with him will handle him." 

Thinking that probably he would be attacked by a bully, Selfridge 
put pistols in his pockets, and shortly after noon he started from his 
office in the Old State House for the Exchange. 

[ 42 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

Austin's son, Charles, who was only eighteen years of age and about 
to graduate from Harvard College, accosted Selfridge in broad day- 
light on State Street between the Old State House and the Traveller 
office, now occupied by the State Street Trust Company. The 
younger man hit Selfridge over the head with a heavy cane, whereupon 
the latter, who was rather old and feeble, drew out his revolver and 
shot his assailant. Splashes of blood came from Austin's mouth and 
nose; he reeled and fell. Cries from bystanders rose: — 

"Who has done this?" 

"Where is the man?" 

"What has he done?" 

"I am the man; and I know what I have done," said Thomas O. 
Selfridge. His friends tried to get him away, but he stayed on. He 
remained until practically in self-defence he walked to the house of 
William Ritchie with a party of his friends. When he reached the 
house he said to one of the party: "Go back to the Exchange, and in- 
form the people where I am to be found." To another he said: "Go 
for Mr. Bell and Mr. Hartshorn, the sheriff's officers, and bring them 
here." The sheriff came, and Selfridge invited him to dine. The 
meal, however, was disturbed by the fury of the mob outside. " Damn 
him, he is a murderer!" they howled. In spite of the sheriff, the mob 
increased in size and anger. A coach was then sent for, and, after 
receiving Selfridge safely within, it proceeded to the Court House, 
accompanied by the crowd. "I was literally obliged to escape into 
prison to elude the fury of democracy," remarked Selfridge. A 
doctor was sent for, and the head of the prisoner, which had been badly 
cut by Austin, bandaged. After that Selfridge talked for some hours 
with his friends. The case was tried before Judge Parker, the district 
attorney, James Sullivan, appearing for the prosecution, Samuel 
Dexter, Christopher Gore, Harrison Gray Otis, and Charles Jackson 
taking up the defence. Thomas Handasyde Perkins was foreman of 
the grand jury, and Paul Revere was foreman ofthe petit jury which 
rendered the verdict of "not guilty" of murder. Soon after the ac- 
quittal, mobs infested the town, burning effigies, libelling jurors and 
judges, and threatening murder. The trial was a most important and 
interesting one on account of the many distinguished men connected 
with it. A detailed report still exists. 



[ 43 ] 




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STATE STREET EVENTS 



ARRIVAL OF COMMODORE 
VICTORY 

"On Brazil's coast she ruled the roost 
When Bainbridge was her Captain; 
Neat hammocks gave, made of the wave, 
Dead Britons to be wrapped in." 

On February 28, 1813, Commodore William Bainbridge, amid the 
booming of cannon, landed at Long Wharf, where he was received by 
officers and citizens of prominence, led by the Mayor, and escorted up 
State Street by the New England Guards to the Exchange Coffee 
House. 

State Street was ready to welcome him, having put on holiday 
attire and dressed itself in flags and banners. His victorious frigate, 
the Constitution, lay in the harbour resting after her capture of 
the Java a few days before. Bainbridge himself as he marched up 
State Street was marked for the spectators on the house-tops, from 
the throngs that pressed closely on all sides, by the fact that he 
walked with uncovered head. Then, too, his figure was erect and 
noble. On his right hand was the veteran Captain Rodgers, and on 
his left was Brigadier-General Welles; Captain Hull, Colonel Blake, 
and officers following. A band was playing on the balcony of the 
State Bank. Under the banners and streamers strung across State 
Street the procession passed, while cheer after cheer from the citizens 
greeted the victorious commander. Under the ensign they passed 
— the ensign that was suspended across the street from opposite 
houses, on which was written: "Hull, Jones, Decatur & Bainbridge," 
famous names in the War of 1812. In the harbour ships showed 
their joy with gay displays. 

On the 2d of March a public dinner was given to Bainbridge and 
his officers at the Exchange Coffee House which was attended by 
Governor Gore, Harrison Gray Otis, Israel Thorndike, T. L. Win- 
throp, and other noteworthies of the town. The Commodore and 
his officers also visited the Federal Street Theatre, and as they entered 
the audience rose and made evident their recognition of the popular 
hero by an outburst of cheers. " Macbeth " was being played, and one 
of the actors threw his hat into the air and joined in the applause. 

Commodore Bainbridge won the respect of both his countrymen and 
the English. Though twice wounded in the fight, the winning of which 

[ 45 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

Boston celebrated when Bainbridge came to the city, he continued to 
command his ship and personally saw that the wounded English were 
cared for. Captain Lambert he had brought to the Constitution 
and placed in his own cabin. Just before landing, Bainbridge went 
to him and, placing beside him on his cot the sword that had been 
surrendered, said, "I return your sword, my dear sir, with my sin- 
cerest wish that you will recover and wear it, as you have hitherto 
done, with honour to yourself and to your country." Lieutenant- 
General Hislop of the British Army, in gratitude for the care which 
his wounded had received, gave Commodore Bainbridge a handsome 
sword. 

ANTHONY BURNS LED DOWN STATE STREET TO BE 
RETURNED TO SLAVERY 

State Street was a Via Dolorosa when Anthony Burns, the negro 
slave, was escorted to the revenue cutter that took him back to his 
master in Virginia. In nine days he had cost Boston $30,000, one 
riot, and one life. On the day he sailed, June 2, 1854, he faced an 
audience of 20,000 persons crowded along State Street from the Court 
House to Long Wharf. Bells tolled their solemn dirge in neighbor- 
ing Massachusetts towns, for on that morning the arm of Massa- 
chusetts had waved the fugitive back to the South. With a stamp 
of his foot Mayor Smith had said that no Boston bell might sound. 
Still, a church had been unlocked and the key turned from without 
upon a ringer. Slowly, over the heads of the people, the bell tolled, 
and yet nobody stopped it. The Mayor was busy, and policemen and 
soldiers faced livelier things than tolling bells. John K. Hayes, cap- 
tain of the police, added to the excitement by resigning his position, 
as he refused to assist in returning the negro. It was three o'clock 
when the Court House doors were thrown open and Anthony Burns, 
the escaped fugitive, was walked through streets lined with people, 
soldiers, and even citizens with cutlasses and revolvers. At the head 
of State Street were two cannon pointed towards gathering crowds. 
It had been proclaimed that business be suspended, and the shops on 
the right side of State Street were ordered by the Mayor to be closed. 
The American flag, draped in mourning, hung from many windows, 
and from a window near the Old State House there was a black coffin 
with the words "The Funeral of Liberty" on it. There were groans 

[ 46 ] 



S TA T E S T R E E T E VE N T S 




THE MARSHAL'S POSSE, WITH ANTHONY BURNS, MOVING DOWN STATE 

STREET 

From "Anthony Burns," by Charles E. Stevens 

and hisses for the troops and cries of "Shame!" as Anthony Burns 
was led by. An old State Street merchant stretched a rope from his 
own warehouse across the street and from it suspended the American 
flag, union down. He saw a man pulling at the rope to release it. 
" Rascal !" shouted the merchant, as he rushed to the street, his long 
white hair streaming in the wind, "Rascal! desist or I'll prosecute 
you!" "I am an American and I'm not going to see the flag of my 
country disgraced." "I, too, am an American and a native of this 
city," retorted the State Street merchant, "and I declare that my 
country is eternally disgraced by this day's proceedings. The flag 
hangs there by my orders! Touch it at your peril!" 

When Commissioner Loring's decision was announced, Court 
Square was cleared and every avenue leading to the square closed. 
The artillery and infantry pressed back the crowds, while the light 
dragoons cleared a passage through State Street. The negro, with a 
guard sufficient for Caesar and an audience of people in number worthy 
any general that ever marched in triumph from the water to the State 
House, passed on, unmoved by the spontaneous tears of Massachusetts 
women and by the silent grief of Massachusetts men. There was no 
music to enliven the march; nothing but the dull tread of soldiers, 

[ 47 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 




THE OLD STATE HOUSE IN 1850 
From a print owned by the Bostonian Society 



over pavements. There were hisses that rose constantly above 
everything else. Anthony Burns passed the Old State House where 
in 1646 the founders of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts had 
solemnly condemned human slavery. As the column went by the 
offices of the Commonwealth, it was greeted with clouds of cayenne 
pepper, and a bottle of vitriol was thrown from the same building, 
flying nearly across State Street, where it struck the pavement and 

[ 48 ] 



STATE STREET EVENTS 

was broken in fragments. There was trouble when the military 
reached the Custom House, as the people pressed about them on all 
sides. With fury the Lancers, who were stationed there, rode their 
horses into the crowd, and the infantry charged with fixed bayonets 
into the surging masses. People were driven like rats into cellar-ways 
and forced up flights of stairs and into passages. John Milton was 
taken to the hospital with a sabre cut in his forehead, and William Ela 
was assaulted, beaten with muskets, and forced to the pavement. 
A. L. Haskell was attacked and injured by Captain Evans for hissing 
and crying "Shame!" "Tell me your name and business," said Mr. 
Haskell, holding up his bleeding hand. "Evans is my name," re- 
sponded the officer, "and my business is to kill such d — d rascals 
as you are!" 

The procession turned into Commercial Street, where a company 
with muskets was posted to keep order. A truckman on horseback 
was stopped by some soldiers and told it was impossible for him to 
pass. He was at the head of a long line of traffic that could get no 
further. "Fall back," commanded an officer. "I can't do that," 
said the truckman. The officer was enraged. "I'll fire on you," 
he threatened. "Fire, then, if you want to," said the man on horse- 
back. The order rang for the soldiers to put percussion caps in their 
guns. Then the truckman rose on his horse, bared his breast, snatched 
off his hat, and, holding it above his head, cried: "Fire! You cowards!" 
"Ready!" said the officer. The soldiers' fingers were on their triggers. 
"Fire! You rascals! You cowards! Fire!" cried the truckman, 
waving his hat again. But they did not fire. Instead, a constable 
pulled him off his horse and arrested him. The Lancers at this point 
in the conflict came up with their pistols cocked. The fugitive 
marched on, towards the vessel that was to return him to slavery. 

SUBMARINE WALKING RACE FROM LONG WHARF TO 
EAST BOSTON 

Thousands of persons went down to the end of Long Wharf on the 
Fourth of July in 1868 to witness one of the most novel races ever 
held. Three expert divers had arranged an under-water walking 
match from a raft near Long Wharf to another one moored near the 
Cunard Wharf on the East Boston side of the channel. Thousands 
of people lined the near-by docks and crowded the decks of yachts and 

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steam tugs in order to see the unusual event. All eyes were centred 
on a small boat in which the three divers were waiting for the starting 
signal. Very soon a little steamer, called Grace Irving, poked her 
way from the south side of the wharf, with many distinguished guests 
on board, including the city committee and many ladies. The boat 
anchored near the place where the divers were lined up, preparatory 
to jumping overboard. At this point in the proceedings the specta- 
tors were treated to an unexpected shaking up, for the signal to start 
was given by exploding thirty kegs of powder which had been placed 
in tin cans below the surface. When Mr. Ammi Smith pressed 
the electric button, the water dashed up in geysers, and the hull of 
the Grace Irving rocked like a cradle. The contestants were in the 
water in a second, ready to begin their difficult tramp. George E. 
Townsend, an experienced diver, arranged and had charge of the 
contest, although he did not enter the race himself. The racers were 
George Phillips of Mansfield, William Lloyd and Jacob Palmer, both 
of Boston. Each of the three men had a boat to follow him, equipped 
with men to handle the life lines and air pumps. Palmer's boat made 
rapid progress at first, then stopped suddenly and went backwards, 
much to the surprise of the spectators. It became known later that 
Palmer's line became entangled in some rocks, which put him hope- 
lessly out of the race. The other two contestants were on very even 
terms, but Phillips finally won over Lloyd, completing the course in 
seventeen minutes. The victor's headgear was removed, and he was 
handed an American flag, which he waved joyfully to the crowd, which 
responded with vigorous shouts and the tooting of steam whistles. 
The prizes were $75, #50, and #25. On coming to the surface, the 
divers said that the bottom was of bluish clay, and by treading on 
this the water became so discolored that it was impossible to see far 
ahead. Ordinarily, they could have seen ten or twelve feet in front, 
but in Boston Channel it was very difficult to see more than a very 
few feet away. 



[ Over ] 
[ 51 ] 



AUTHORITIES 

The following authorities have been consulted in the preparation 
of this brochure: — 

The Memorial History of Boston, edited by Justin Winsor. 

History of Boston, by Samuel G. Drake. 

Boston Notions, by Nathaniel Dearborn. 

History of Boston, by Caleb H. Snow. 

Old Landmarks and Historical Personages of Boston, by Samuel G. Drake. 

Letters written from New England a.d. 16S6, by John Dunton. 

Historical Boston and its Neighborhood, by Edward Everett Hale. 

Life and Times of Stephen Higginson, by T. W. Higginson. 

Boston, by Henry Cabot Lodge. 

Boston in 1S13, by John Tucker Prince, in Bostonian Society Publications. 

Dealings with the Dead, by Lucius Manlius Sargent. 

Boston Events, by Edward Hartwell Savage. 

Boston Town, by Horace Elisha Scudder. 

A Topographical and Historical Description of Boston, by Charles Shaw. 

Boston Eighty Years Ago, by Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff. 

Deacon Tudor's Diary, by John Tudor. 

Curiosities of History, by William Wilder Wheildon. 

The Story of the Old Boston Town House, by Josiah Henry Benton. 

Boston, by M. A. DeWolfe Howe. 

Boston Slave Riot and Trial of Anthony Burns. 

Anthony Burns, by Charles Emery Stevens. 

Theodore Parker s Scrap Books. 

William Wilder Wheildon 's Scrap Books. 

Boston Fire Department, by A. W. Brayley. 

Trial of Thomas 0. Selfridge, from Court Reports. 

Commodore Bainbridge, by James Barnes. 

Life and Services of William Bainbridge, by Thomas Harris. 

Letters of John and Abigail Adams. 

Winthrop's Journal. 

Mather's Magnolia. 

Wonder-Working Providence of Zions Saviour in New England, by Captain Edward 

Johnson. 
The Lives of John Wilson, John Norton, and John Davenport, by A. W. M'Clure. 
History of the First Church of Boston, by Arthur E. Ellis. 
Recollections of the Private Centennial Celebration of the Overthrow of the Tea at Griffin's 

Wharf, in Boston Harbor. 
A Retrospect of the Boston Tea Party, by George R. T. Hewes. 
The Historic Boston Tea Party, by C. A. Wall. 
Taverns of Boston in Ye Olden Time, "Bay State Monthly." 
Ancient Inns of Boston Town, "New England Magazine." 
Old Inns and Taverns of Boston, "Bostonian." 
Samuel Adams, by Samuel Fallows. 
Samuel Adams, by William V. Wells. 
Samuel Adams, by James K. Hosmer. 



